Drata / Checkr Integration User Guide

Welcome to Checkr!

This guide will walk you through the Checkr / Drata integration process, and outline how to use the Checkr dashboard for the background check process. 

The Checkr Help Center is a great resource for any questions that may not be covered in this user guide. If you have any questions not covered in this guide that are specific to Drata, please fill out a support request for additional assistance.

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• Prerequisites 
• Add Checkr to Drata 
• Enable Checkr setup 
• Create a Checkr account 
• Account Hierarchy
• Order Background Checks 
• Monitor Background Checks
• Checkr Features
• Use the Checkr Dashboard
• Checkr’s Candidate Experience
• Resources 

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This guide describes how to set up Checkr to use within Drata, such that Drata users can initiate and / or view Checkr background checks from within the Drata interface. 

Prerequisites

The following items are required to initiate Drata / Checkr integration. Please ensure you have the following before proceeding.

• Access to Drata, with admin rights 

Add Checkr to Drata

First, enable Checkr from within Drata. You must have admin access to both Checkr and Drata to complete this process. 

If your company does not yet have a Checkr account, one must be created for the integration with Drata. Please see the steps below. 

If your company does have a Checkr account, you can follow the steps below and Sign In instead of Signing Up.

Enable Checkr setup

1. Click on your company's name in the lower left corner.
2. Click "Connections" from that menu.
3. Click the "Connect" button for the Checkr integration.
4. A drawer will extend from the right side of the screen providing details on making the connection.                                     
5. Choosing either option will prompt you to connect to Checkr, where you'll see the visual below, prompting you to begin an OAuth connection.                                      If you are not already signed in, you will be prompted to log in to your Checkr Dashboard.
6. If Account Hierarchy is enabled, step two of this connection will ask you to select a Node that has been set up in your Checkr account.
7. After a Node has been selected (or no nodes were present), you will then be able to select which package will be used by any candidates initiating background checks from within Drata.
8. After the connection has been made, it’s important to determine whether you would like to enable ordering through the Drata platform. NOTE: Drata’s product aims to remove admin bottlenecks and instead allows employees to initiate background checks on themselves. If you would like to restrict employees from being able to initiate background checks on themselves, please follow Step #9 below
9. If you do not want employees to have any view in their 'My Drata' onboarding related to background checks, instead choose the option "We use a different background check solution and will upload manually per employee on the Personnel page". This will hide the "Background Check" section for your employees.
10. Click the “Update” button to configure the changes.

Create a Checkr account

If your company does not yet have a Checkr account, one must be created before integration with Drata.

To create an account for use with Drata:

1. If your company does not yet have a Checkr account,  click “Set Up a Checkr Account” and “Continue”.   
2. Enter your name and company contact information, and click Continue.
3. Enter payment information. Invoices for background checks will come directly from Checkr, and not from Drata. (Payment information may be edited on the Checkr dashboard after the account has been created.)
4. Provide the requested credentialing information. This information is required by law to ensure that only legitimate companies, with legitimate business needs, can run background checks.
   • Note: Select Purpose: Pre-employment to use Checkr to run background checks for hiring/employment purposes.
5. Click Continue to submit your information to Checkr for review. Once the credentialing process is complete, Checkr will notify both Drata and you, and you may begin ordering background checks through the Drata platform. 
6. Credentialing typically takes 1-2 business days. If Checkr needs additional information, they will reach out to you directly by email. 

Account Hierarchy

The integration allows users to set up different "nodes" inside of their Checkr account to have displayed in the background check ordering workflow. Nodes can be used to designate different locations, teams, or groups that order background checks within your organization. Checkr requires you to assign packages to nodes once they are created, and will then display which node ordered which package on your Checkr invoice. 

Each time you order a background check, you will be asked which node to order the check from, and then select from a pre-populated list of packages available to that node. Invoices will show the background checks ordered by each node within 2 billing cycles after setup. 

To order a background check with Account Hierarchy and nodes:

• Fill in the work location of the candidate as you normally would for any background check.
• Select which Hierarchy node you would like to order from.

The list of available Packages will automatically generate based on the node you select. Select the background check package you want to run. If you do not see any packages populating, you will need to assign the appropriate packages to that node in your Checkr dashboard before proceeding.

For more information on Account Hierarchy, nodes, and how to configure your account, see Checkr's Payment & Billing, Adverse Actions, and Manage Account Settings Help Articles.

Order Background Checks

Background checks in Drata are ordered by the candidate (employee) themselves initiating the process during an onboarding flow. Refer above (Step 8) for important info to determine how to disable employee ordering.

1. User will go to their “My Drata” Screen, and scroll down to “Background Checks”, expanding the accordion. 
2. From here, users will enter their City and State and click “Start My Background Check”.
3. This will kick off the Checkr-hosted background check flow, and the candidate should receive an email to finish the process within Checkr. 

Monitor Background Checks

There are two places where a Drata administrator can monitor a background check’s complete state. 

First Place: 

1. Navigate to the Drata “Connections” menu
2. Find your connected “Checkr” tile
3. Click “Manage Background Checks”.
4. This will display all background checks detected by Drata that originate in Checkr.

Second Place: 

1. Navigate to the “Personnel'' section of Drata. 
2. Sort all users by the “Background Check” column. 
3. Candidates who have fully completed background check reports will display with a green checkmark, and everyone else will be red X’s

Note: Drata only cares about candidates having a completed check, and does not allow admin users to see any other detailed information for a check. To view additional information related to the background check, you can navigate to the Checkr dashboard. 

Most background checks will be completed within 24 hours, but the time to complete can range from a few minutes to a few weeks, depending on the type of check ordered, the geographic location of the candidate, and/or county courthouse operations. 

Checkr Features

Use the Checkr Dashboard

While the integration allows users to order background checks and view their status, the following features are available only within Checkr: 

• Background check invitation links
• Full background check report results
• Adverse Action initiation and processing tools
• Checkr settings 
  • New and existing user management
  • Billing information
  • Email notification preferences

For a quick overview of the Checkr Dashboard, please see Getting started with Checkr

Checkr’s Candidate Experience

The checkr candidate experience overview describes the Checkr candidate experience of the background check process. It includes information about the Checkr Candidate Portal and Help Center where candidates can self-serve and address common issues that can stall or delay their background checks. The overview also includes common reasons candidates contact Checkr and how to address these issues.

The overview includes:

• An overview of the candidate process
• General information about the background check process, including exceptions and disputes
• An overview of the Checkr Candidate Portal
• An introduction to the Candidate Experience team
• A list of some of the most common candidate questions
• Links to the most frequently used pages in the Checkr Help Center

Resources 

For a quick overview of the Checkr Dashboard, please see Getting started with Checkr